Jeff Black’s Countercultural New Bar

Here to help: Republic, a new oyster/cocktail/music spot from Jeff Black of Pearl Dive and
BlackSalt fame, opening Sunday in a former Takoma Park video store.

In short, here’s a reason to visit the countercultural capital of DC. If you’re leading a group of
antiestablishmentarians, head for the long banquette fashioned from red Victorian-style sofas. Order up local drafts like
Stillwater Cellar Door, then get to sharing Portuguese seafood stew and smoked short ribs.

But on most days, it’ll be hard to avoid the long zinc bar/raw bar, complete with zebra-print stools.
There, you can entertain all kinds of radical notions. Or at least six kinds of oysters, duck confit Cubano
sandwiches and cocktails like the Fascist Killer, with bourbon, amaro, green Chartreuse and
basil.

And yes, someone will likely be playing something. In nice weather, that’ll be on the back patio with its
repurposed neon sign from the video store.